Page 20

2014 Boston Gameday HQ

FIELDING
Joe Maddon’s teams have historically gotten better as the season
has gone on. The same goes for their fielding. Maddon will make sure
his players work at their craft and it’s evident by their play in the field.
Longoria has improved tremendously since his rookie season at third
base. Loney is a terrific fielding first baseman, and Zobrist is markedly
improved at second base. A question mark could be Hanigan at catcher.
No matter what, look for this club to get better in the field by the end of
the season. That’s been a trend.
STARTING PITCHING
David Price was 10-8 with a 3.33 ERA last season and those numbers
are expected to improve with another year of seasoning. The stuff is there
and there’s no question about it. Can Price deliver consistently? That’s the
bigger question, and it should be answered soon enough. Matt Moore was
sensational last season, going 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA. Can he repeat that
feat? Moore struck out 143 in 150 1/3 innings and seemed to get stronger
as the season progressed. He’s still young and shouldn’t be intimidated
by much. Look for another solid season from Moore. Alex Cobb and Chris
Archer seem primed to stay in the rotation while Jake Odorizzi has stated
a strong case to be the fifth starter.
RELIEF PITCHING
The bullpen will be anchored by closer Grant Balfour, who had 38
saves with the Oakland Athletics last season. Heath Bell, a former star
closer with the San Diego Padres, Jake McGee, Joel Peralta and Juan
Carlos Oviedo will all provide key work as setup pitchers. If needed, any
one of them could step in as the temporary closer. Depth is a major plus
in the Rays’ bullpen, and in a marathon season, that’s a big plus. Bell, a
three-time All-Star, has 168 career saves. Having that as a backup in your
bullpen never hurts. It will give Maddon choices, especially if the club
gets nicked up at some point.
MANAGING
Maddon has won 90 or more games five times and guided his team
to the 2008 World Series, where they were upended by the Philadelphia
Phillies in five games. Maddon has proven to be a terrific manager year
in and year out, despite dealing with a much smaller payroll than many
other teams. He has the utmost respect of his players and it shows with
how hard they play for him on a daily basis. In baseball, a manager
can be the difference in many games. For the Rays, that has resulted in
winning season after winning season.
David Price
JIM ROGASH/GETTY IMAGES SPORT